Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Can you believe it is nearly the end of January already?? The weather certainly hasn't figured this out yet. When we moved here Maria promised me lots of sunshine and happiness, so far stacks of joy but little of the other. I have been promised by our friends here that the weather is being freakish and the St Jean de Luz sunshine will follow shortly. In the meantime another day largely indoors. (Pic courtesy of my learned American/ English/ Palestinian/ Macedonian friend)

I did pop out this evening for a rather nice new experience. Having carried myself too long without medical attention (see previous) I have been searching for a cure to backache, dicky tummy, sore toe etc. for some time. Pascale put me in touch with a friend of hers who offers Amatsu therapy. Open minded I headed along Rue Gambetta to visit Caroline. Lying fully clothed on her table I waited in vulnerable anticipation. It didn't feel like she applied that much pressure but by gum she knew where to apply it! It is like a cross between reflexology and sitting beneath an avalanche of particularly heavy rocks that are being accelerated by gale force winds. One feels a slight tickle and then the body convulses in writhing agony. As we all know pain is good for you so I eagerly await next week's installment.

Basque of the day: - pain :: min (though I feel this should really read max)

Basque Bylines

Traversing the planet is always good for the soul but so is returning home. Following ten months in Outer Mongolia a Scotsman and his wife return from the Steppe. Back in St Jean de Luz the sun still sits high in the sky, Gateau Basque remains as tempting as ever and life in the Basque Country moves forever onwards at its own luxurious pace. Having answered one important question, one remains:

What makes gateau Basque taste so good?

[What made Chinggis Khaan so darned angry? Nothing rhymed with his name which as a budding poet grated heavily and have you ever tried to run the world's greatest ever empire from a ger on the remote Steppe surrounded by camels at -40C?]